I recently read this Linda Eyre book entitled Grandmothering: The Secrets to Making A Difference While Having the Time of Your Life. Such a great book and totally appropriate to this time in my life.
Here are a couple of quotes from her book that were particularly meaningful to me:
“No one can fully describe the exhilaration of holding that first grandbaby in your arms! The baby of your baby, fresh from Heaven. There lies joy and rapture, anticipation and wonder, along with some worry about what the future will hold for that precious bundle! But for grandmothers, the inevitable ups and downs are all wrapped up in a big beautiful sphere of adventure called ‘having the time of your life.'”
“It is said that ‘parenting is an investment and grandparenting is the return on the investment.’ Taking that one step further, how much time and thought and effort we invest in grandmothering can eventually produce substantial returns. Maybe we don’t start out thinking about leaving a legacy to these beautiful little people who bring so much light to our lives. As time goes on though, we realize that the legacy that we leave to our grandchildren probably won’t end with a monument built of brick or stone or even a bronze plaque dedicated in our honor. What we leave will be invisible. It will be a monument of love and understanding and integrity and courage inside their minds and hearts that will stand forever.” (Linda Eyre, p. 1)
I have read many of Linda’s books over the years and they have spanned the different phases of my life as a mother. I didn’t always apply what I learned from her adventures in motherhood, but I always admired how deliberately she parented.
Linda & Richard Eyre have raised 9 amazing children–I know one of their daughters–Saren– as we have worked together on Power of Moms, and I met another daughter–Saydi–who spoke at one of our retreats. They are strong, intentional women who I admire. Linda and I actually spent some time together at one of our Power of Moms Board Retreats in her home, as we were the only two grandmothers in the room! It was fun to swap stories of our grands.
This is an incredible book about the journey we take as grandmothers and it is full of great ideas and wisdom. Each chapter also includes a place for you to write down your thoughts on what was discussed. Here are a few of the chapter headings, just to whet your appetite:
- GRAMMIE CAMPS AND FUN WITH SMALLER GROUPS
- THE IMPORTANCE OF A STRONG FAMILY CULTURE
- ADDING IN-LAWS AND BABIES
- THE SECRET INGREDIENT THAT GIVES YOUR GRANDCHILDREN GRIT
There is also a great chapter on how to deal with the whole Entitlement problem.
Now, you might be asking why this book on grandmothering is included on our food blog, where we read books with food themes, for foodies.
At the end of the book, Linda includes a whole section of recipes to feed a crowd. Because she raised a crowd and whenever those kids and their families get together it’s an even bigger crowd!
This flatbread recipe is one I have read about in her daughter Shawni’s blog. I have wanted to try it. So glad it was included in this book.
Everyday Flatbread
- December 21, 2019
- Print this
Ingredients
- 2 packages yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
- 2 cups hot tap water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cups flour
Directions
- Step 1
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
- Step 2
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, adding more flour if the dough is sticky (maybe up to 3 cups)
- Step 3
- Let the dough sit for 15-30 minutes while you work on the rest of dinner.
- Step 4
- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and then roll the dough out in the pan. You could also just pat it out with your hands.
- Step 5
- Bake for about 7 minutes.
Notes: I scored my dough before baking it so that I could have bread sticks to go with my salad.
